Lou Hammond Wins AC Task

December 14, 2006
by Tonya Garcia

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ: The Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority (ACCVA) has selected Lou Hammond & Associates as AOR, ending a three-year relationship it had with Weber Shandwick. The two-year contract is worth $150,000 per year.

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ: The Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority (ACCVA) has selected Lou Hammond & Associates as AOR, ending a three-year relationship it had with Weber Shandwick. The two-year contract is worth $150,000 per year.

"The issue with Weber Shandwick was not related to their performance at all," said Maureen Siman, VP of Marketing for the ACCVA. "It was related to their RFP response."

She added that there are strict rules guiding RFP submission because her organization is a state agency and WS didn't submit state-required paperwork. WS had no comment on the matter.

Lou Hammond has experience in destination marketing, including Palm Beach, Providence, RI, and the state of South Carolina.

"Their research and knowledge of our destination was remarkable," said Siman. "The staff have been with agency and held on to their accounts for a long time. All of those things combined made them the clear choice for our PR representation."

Lou Hammond presented to the ACCVA and its partners, such as local gaming companies, restaurant chains, and shopping destinations.

"We are thrilled," said Lou Hammond, founder and chairman of the agency. "Atlantic City is hot, it's getting hotter, and has a tremendous future."

Those plans include three new hotel towers opening next year, three new megaresorts, and the Piers Shops at Caesars, a high-end retail complex.

"The PR efforts began three years ago, particularly in the past 12 months, and we want to continue that momentum," said Siman. "We want to continue to generate stories about the renaissance that's happening in Atlantic City."

A big part of the PR campaign will focus on the "drive market," the area within a 300-mile circumference of the city.